All-Star Disaster Movies: Is 'Contagion' the Most Star-Studded of Them All?

'Contagion' finds a lot of big names -- Gwyneth Paltrow, Matt Damon, Jude Law, Laurence Fishburne, Kate Winslet, Marion Cotillard, Elliott Gould, plus more -- dealing with an out-of-control bird flu epidemic. With an all-star cast that rivals the old Irwin Allen productions from the 1970s, we can't help but wonder: where does 'Contagion' stack up against the biggest disaster epics of all time? Does it put more Oscar winners in jeopardy than the original 'The Poseidon Adventure?' Warning: Some spoilers for who bites the big one in these classic flicks.

After a few impressive magnetics-gone-haywire sequences, this thriller quickly gets sillier the deeper our terranauts delve into the Earth's core. At least -- in classic disaster movie tradition -- several familiar faces don't make it to the end of the film, so when they bite the dust, we feel the requisite pangs.13. 'The Day After Tomorrow' (2004)Biggest names: Dennis Quaid, Jake Gyllenhaal, Sela WardAwesome (but doomed) character actors: Ian Holm, Jay O. SandersOscar winners: none

Nothing wrong with the two leads, but if we're going to cry "Oh no!" when folks get wiped off the map by tornadoes or killer waves, they should have stocked the cast with more people we recognize. Points, at least, for the demise of pretty-boy president Perry King and for the genuinely sad last moments of Ian Holm and crew.

Any way you look at it, 'Earthquake' is pretty unspectacular. The special effects are cheap and the cast barely registers on the Richter scale. We love Charlton Heston, but we had more fun watching him battle those damn dirty apes or warding off zombies in a post-apocalyptic Los Angeles.11. '2012' (2009)Biggest names: John Cusack, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, Thandie Newton, Danny Glover, Woody HarrelsonOscar winners: none

Does one over-the-top Gene Hackman equal the star wattage of, say, Paul Newman and Steve McQueen? No, but this high-water mark in disaster movies makes up for the lack of A-listers with its boat-flipping scenes and self-sacrificial dramatics. And an Oscar-winning theme song!

You can't really rival this kind of casting they had in the '70s, where a star from silent films (Swanson) could rub elbows with the girl from 'The Exorcist' and pop singer Helen Reddy.8. 'The Perfect Storm' (2000)Biggest names: George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Diane LaneAwesome (but doomed) character actors: John C. Reilly, William Fichtner, John HawkesOscar winners: none (Clooney didn't get his until 2006)

The disaster movie that started it all: a few slightly over-the-hill stars, some even more over-the-hill stars from a bygone era, and one hot babe are all trapped in a life-threatening situation. Let the Oscar-worthy overacting (and the death toll) begin! "It's the biggest all-star cast ever assembled for a single Universal motion picture!" boasts the trailer (below).

Some of them may have been past their prime, but these actors were still stars with a capital S when this movie came out. And that's future president Martin Sheen as Ava Gardner's hot boy toy and O.J. Simpson (dressed as a priest!) in the same movie!4. 'The Swarm' (1978)
Biggest names: Michael Caine, Henry Fonda, Katharine Ross, Richard WidmarkDisaster movie staple: Richard ChamberlainOscar winners: 4 (Olivia de Havilland, Patty Duke, Lee Grant, Ben Johnson), with future winners Caine and Fonda

By 1978, moviemakers had exploited just about every disaster imaginable, but there was no shortage of old-school and current stars willing to face certain death by fire, earthquake or, in this case, a swarm of killer bees. Unlike Winters in 'The Poseidon Adventure' and Hayes in 'Airport,' no one saw any Oscar nominations for this puppy.

Now this is what we're talking about: a snapshot of all tiers of society, from the president to news anchors to ordinary families, wrestling with the big issues of who should live and who should die as a meteor hurtles toward Earth. (We'd include 'Armageddon,' except that the disaster never really happened and nearly everyone lives.)

We're not saying it's the best disaster movie ever made, but you just can't beat the star power of McQueen and Newman, back when both were in their prime. The familiarity of the supporting cast and the inevitable timetable by which they meet their doom (or miraculously survive) is what we call the gold standard of all-star disaster movies.